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Associated Press

Agence France-Presse

The two Champions League semi-finals that start this week have a bit of a beauty and the beast contrast.
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich on Tuesday pairs two easy-on-the-eye attacking teams playing arguably the highest-quality technical football in the world today.
Atletico Madrid v Arsenal on Wednesday is a clash of traditionally durable styles with tight defences.
Titleholder PSG and Bayern each have won the Champions League in the past six seasons.
Atletico and Arsenal have never been European champions and are a combined 0-for-4 in finals.
PSG and Bayern have a total of 24 domestic league titles between them in the past 14 seasons. Bayern are already Bundesliga champions this season and another French title is probably coming to Paris next month.

Atletico were twice Spanish champions in that period, while Arsenal are in a duel with Manchester City to earn a first English title in 22 years.
What the semi-finals have in common is being rematches from this season’s league phase, won by Bayern and Arsenal.
The real final?
PSG v Bayern would be many people’s choice of the ideal final, after their majestic displays in the quarter-finals to eliminate, respectively, Liverpool and Real Madrid. They are the tournament joint-top scorers this season, each with 38 goals.
It was the final in 2020 when Bayern became European champions for the sixth time and PSG lost their first title match appearance.
That game in Lisbon was the strange climax to the delayed, pandemic-affected season – played in an empty stadium in mid-August. It was decided by Kingsley Coman, the former PSG trainee who eventually starred in Munich.
It was also the only time Bayern advanced to the final in their past six semi-final appearances. The five losses were against Spanish opponents and the one victory was against a French team. Lyon were beaten in a single-leg game at the lockdown Lisbon mini-tournament.
Bayern won on their trip to Paris in November. Luis Díaz scored twice and then was sent off before half-time for a tackle on Achraf Hakimi.
The Germans must take the next step towards the Champions League title without their suspended coach Vincent Kompany on Tuesday, with his English assistant Aaron Danks set to be in charge for their first leg semi-final in Paris.
Danks, 42, is normally one of three assistants and normally in charge of set pieces.

He will now be in charge at the Parc des Princes after Kompany picked up a third yellow card in the recent quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.
PSG under coach Luis Enrique peak in the second half of the season, finding a new level since signing Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January last year.
Signed from Napoli, Kvaratskhelia played a leading role as PSG made it to the final and demolished Inter Milan 5–0 to become champions of Europe for the first time.
This season, he has been the most prolific of his career, as he now has 15 goals between Ligue 1 and the Champions League, eclipsing the 14 he scored on Napoli’s run to the Serie A title in 2023.
That finishing ability allied with his tremendous work rate make the player nicknamed “Kvaradona” by Napoli fans an absolute nightmare for opposition defences.
There had been concerns in the PSG camp about the fitness of Vitinha after the Portuguese playmaker sat out his team’s past two games due to injury.
However, he was back in training on Monday in a big boost to the defending champions.
“Everyone is ready,” said the coach, who also saw Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz make his first start in three months after injury last weekend as PSG beat Angers 3-0 in Ligue 1.
The return game is on Wednesday next week in Munich, where PSG routed Inter Milan to win their first European title.

A-game in Madrid
Arsenal’s record as the only unbeaten team in this season’s Champions League will be tested in the intense atmosphere of the Metropolitano Stadium.
Arsenal have conceded just five goals in 12 games so far, the kind of record associated with Atletico during coach Diego Simeone’s long reign of mostly feisty football.
This is a more expansive Atletico version, with a surprising 26 goals conceded in 14 Champions League games this season. Julián Alvarez has nine of the 34 scored at the other end.
The semi-final pairs two of Europe’s long-serving top-tier coaches: Simeone in a remarkable 15th season – often described as the highest-paid club coach in world football, earning about US$35 million – and Arteta in his seventh with Arsenal.
Still, Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Atletico in October feels a long time ago. A four-goal burst in 15 second-half minutes, including two from Viktor Gyokeres, showed a freedom Arteta’s team have found hard to recapture in a tense second half of the season.
Atletico’s path to the semi-finals has been taking first-leg leads – ambushing Tottenham at home then winning at Barcelona – before riding out severe pressure in the return game. That will be in London on Tuesday of next week.


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Uefa Champions League

Champions League semi-finals contrast easy-on-the-eye PSG-Bayern, robust Atletico-Arsenal

PSG have been peaking in the second half of the season, and have found a new level since signing Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (middle) in January last year. Photo: Reuters

Bayern Munich won their last Champions League title in 2020, beating PSG in the final. Photo: AFP

Bayern Munich assistant coach Aaron Danks (right) will be in charge in the absence of Vincent Kompany. Photo: EPA

Viktor Gyokeres (red) scores Arsenal’s final goal in their 4-0 win over Atletico in October. Photo: Reuters

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Al-Ahli players and staff celebrate beating Machida Zelvia in the AFC Champions League Elite final. Photo: AFP

 Roberto Firmino of Al-Ahli takes a tumble during his team’s victory over Machida Zelvia. Photo: AFP

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Stefan Effenberg hoists the Champions League trophy following Bayern Munich’s victory over Valencia in the 2001 final. Photo: Reuters

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Stefan Effenberg talks to the South China Morning Post during his visit to Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Li

Sport

Football

Holders PSG and German champions Bayern each have won Champions League in past six seasons, while Atletico, Arsenal have never lifted trophy


Holders PSG and German champions Bayern each have won Champions League in past six seasons, while Atletico, Arsenal have never lifted trophy.


Viktor Gyokeres

Kingsley Coman

Champions League semi-finals contrast easy-on-the-eye PSG-Bayern, robust Atletico-Arsenal

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Holders PSG and German champions Bayern each have won Champions League in past six seasons, while Atletico, Arsenal have never lifted trophy

Holders PSG and German champions Bayern each have won Champions League in past six seasons, while Atletico, Arsenal have never lifted trophy